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Server Software: Windows Server 2003 and Small Business Server 2003

By Morgan Killick

In the final instalment of a three-part series, we look at Microsoft's Windows 2003 Server and Small Business Server Software in more detail. Specifically Microsoft's Windows 2003 Server and Small Business Server.

The article looks at the ‘roles’ each product is designed to fulfil and discusses the advantages and drawbacks of each in turn. We look at pricing and licensing options and finally consider the requirements of both products in terms of technical support. The article concludes with a table comparing the functionality of both products.

Introduction

Microsoft’s ‘2003’ series of Windows Server software is a broad family of products. Here we focus on just two of the family members: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Small Business Server 2003 - the main Operating Systems on offer. For ease of reference, we will call the former ‘Straight Server’ and the latter ‘SBS’. There are of course of non-Microsoft operating systems available for servers too such as Linux, Mac and Novell.

Server Roles Explained

It is extremely important to know what duties you expect from a server before buying one. If you don’t already have an idea, you will find some useful guidance in the article “So you think you want a server?”

Historically speaking, server software was designed to perform a single function on a network. We thus talk about server ‘roles’ - functions that the server is responsible for dealing with rather than the individual PC’s. Some common server roles are contained in the table below:

Common server roles

Role	Description
File Server	System for providing password protected document storage
Print Server	A central point for administering printers
Backup Server	Manages and monitors network backups
Web Server	A hosting platform for websites
Mail Server	Centralised system for downloading and distributing email
Proxy Server	Regulates/provides access to the web for multiple PC’s/users

 

From around the mid 80’s to early 90’s, it was standard practise to have a separate machine for each role.  However, as hardware has become more powerful, so server software has become more advanced. SBS and ‘Straight Server’ now represent a ‘bundle’ of different server software, permitting a single hardware system to perform multiple roles.  These roles are discussed in more detail below.

Windows Server 2003: Advantages and Disadvantages

At the core of Windows Server 2003 is a database that stores details of all of the users and the permissions they are entitled to. This is known as Active Directory (AD). As well as using AD to govern access to files, ‘Straight Server’ performs print server and web server roles with little additional configuration. It is, in this sense, quite a basic server product. Contained within ‘Straight Server’ however is a suite of tools and functions that allow it to become the building block of a much more complex network environment.

The strength then of Windows Server 2003 lies in this dual role:

•  As a relatively ‘light’ product, it can be up and running quickly and will handle file, print and backup roles with consummate ease.
• It can run on low-tech hardware and is easy to install. Unlike SBS, ‘Straight Server’ is very flexible and scalable: you can add additional server software from the 2003 family (at additional cost of course) when needed and can distribute and move roles between different hardware systems.
• Tools that form part of ‘Straight Server’ such as DFS (Distributed File System), allow for replication of files across multiple servers/sites such that users can logon anywhere on a network and access their files quickly.

However there are also some drawbacks to using Windows Server 2003, including:

• A major complaint about Microsoft Server products is that they are licensed ‘per user’ (Client Access Licences or CAL’s). In other words, we are forced to pay more for each additional user (For not-for-profits, there are large discounts available on most MS products, especially Server CAL’s).

• Another key drawback is that the control and administration of users and permissions is not very intuitive. ‘Straight Server’ requires some degree of ICT knowledge to administer even for predictable and routine tasks such as assigning permissions to users and folders.
• Windows 2003 servers (both ‘Straight Server’ and SBS) need all PC’s on your network to be running either Windows 2000 or XP Professional Edition in order to work effectively.
• ‘Straight Server’ does not itself handle email. In order to do so one would require additional software.

Small Business Server 2003 Advantages and Drawbacks

SBS is designed for small organisations that will never have more than 50 users. It is a ‘bundle’ of server roles intended for a network with a single server machine. Advantages include:

• Exchange, SQL Server and SharePoint Services are part of SBS. It thus represents excellent value for money compared to buying these products separately (more so for businesses than Not-for-profits).
• With a simple system of licensing (packs of 5 CAL’s, covering all of the software) it allows an organisation to easily acquire and keep track of the legal aspects of running Microsoft server software.
• The greatest advantage in running SBS is that one is buying into a fully featured system – as well as Active Directory, web and print services one has access to a shared email, calendar and contacts system; shared faxes; a richly featured intranet; and remote and mobile worker options.

In terms of drawbacks:

• SBS requires more powerful hardware and involves a more complex installation. It also pushes the limits of the NTBackup utility which comes as part of both SBS and ‘Straight Server’ and is likely to require a more powerful backup system. 
• Crucially though, having a single SBS machine means that there is a single point of failure in your network and should it go down it could leave you with little or no functionality on your PC’s.
• SBS is also less flexible than ‘Straight Server’ and the more advanced multi-server/multi-site configurations may not be possible. Nevertheless, SBS is a very well respected and popular Operating System and provides many organisations with all the features they will ever need in a convenient and highly cost effective package.

Licensing and Cost Comparisons

Microsoft’s’ pricing varies due to the myriad of different licensing arrangements on offer. The table below summarises typical costs and eligibility criteria for server licensing. At the time of writing a huge discount on SBS was available to charities and has thus been listed below even though it is not an official Microsoft licensing stream.

When purchasing server products it is important to differentiate between the server product itself and the CAL. You will need one of the latter per user (or per PC). Under certain schemes you may also need a CD (known as a media kit) to install the product.

Software and approximate pricing Dec 2006

Licence Program	Eligibility	Windows Server 2003 Pricing	Server 2003 CAL Pricing	SBS 2003 Pricing	SBS CAL Pricing
Retail / fully packaged product	Anyone, anytime	£800	£170	£470	£370
OEM	Can only be supplied and installed on a new hard drive	£500	£85	£300	£200 for 5
Volume Licensing (corporate)	Open Agreement: Min qualification is 1 server product	£600	£30 per user	N/A	N/A
Volume Licencing (Academic)	Open Agreement: Min qualification is 1 server product plus end user organisation must have educational or charitable aims	£90	£5 per user	N/A	N/A
Special Select Agreements (e.g. CTX; and various Charity Software Suppliers)	Charities only: these are specially negotiated prices	N/A	N/A	£30	£30

 

Maintenance & Technical Support Considerations

Technical Support from Microsoft IS available for every Server product that is registered. Registered Members have access to a telephone number for ‘Mission Critical’ breakdowns and to newsgroups for everything else. However, this support is of a highly technical nature and most small organisations with a Windows Server will look to outsource technical support on a contractual basis (see the knowledgebase articles “Working with an IT support company” and  “What to expect from an IT support contract” for more information)

Although it may be convenient to outsource server support for more complex matters, it is always advisable to glean certain information about your server software from your chosen installers. As an absolute minimum, you must have access to the Administrator account on the server (username and password) as without this you are effectively ‘locked out’. You are also legally obliged to be able to produce evidence if you have bought Microsoft licenses. Upkeep matters such as adding & renaming users; checking for critical updates; monitoring Antivirus & backup systems (if controlled through the server) and checking the event log, should be learned and documented by someone ‘on the inside’ who will be responsible for IT matters.

Due largely to the presence of Exchange 2003, SBS is more troublesome and therefore more costly to maintain than ‘Straight Server’ itself. Administration of SBS however is wizard driven and is intended to simplify end-user tasks. In addition, there are a number of smaller IT support companies/consultancies with expertise built largely around the installation and support of SBS and pricing may reflect this.

Conclusion: Comparison of ‘Straight Server’ and SBS Roles

The following table explains the roles and Microsoft solutions on offer. It indicates whether these are available in ‘Straight Server’ or SBS.

Comparison of 'Straight Server' and SBS roles

Role	Microsoft Solution	Windows Server 2003	SBS 2003
File Server	‘Active Directory’ (AD) stores a database of all users including their group permissions. Any file or folder can be allocated permissions.	Yes	Yes
Print Server	‘Active Directory’ can list and control all network printers and allocate them to users on logon.	Yes	Yes
Web Server	IIS can store and run multiple websites	Yes	Yes
Backup Server	Windows Backup & Shadow Copy provide an adequate defence against lost or deleted data	Yes	Yes but does not backup Mail Server role
Remote Access	Terminal Services is Microsoft’s product for allowing users to ‘dial-in’ and have access to their full desktop settings and profiles.	Yes, but for more than two users you need to purchase and install some add-ons	Yes but limited to two administrative users. Full Terminal Server cannot be added to SBS
Clustering Services	Various technologies for multi-site or multi-server working including DFS, File Replication, Clustering and Load Balancing allow you to deploy server software flexibly across different hardware, moving roles or files around as required	Yes	No – SBS must be the only server with AD and cannot participate in DFS or allow roles to be moved around
Fax Server	Microsoft Shared Fax Service	No	Yes
Database Server	SQL Server 2000 is a powerful database management systems suitable for complex/multi-user environments	No	Yes but only contains a cut-down version
Mail Server	Exchange Server 2003 not only downloads and distributes mail, but allows users listed in AD to share Outlook inboxes, calendars and contacts. It also has features for remote access and mobile services.	No	Yes
Intranet Server	Windows Sharepoint Services integrates with AD to allow users to create and maintain their own intranet with rich functionality in a modular fashion. Sharepoint requires IIS and SQL Server to be present.	Can be downloaded for free and added-on	Yes – ‘companyweb’ is part of the SBS installation and can be up and running very quickly.
Proxy Server	ISA (Internet Security and Accelerator) caches all websites visited and can control access to the web on a user-by-user basis. It can also filter web content by URL, topic or keyword. ISA is also a firewall.	No	Premium Edition Only